Shan Masood Khan (Urdu: شان مسعود; born 14 October 1989), also spelled as Shaan Masood, is a Pakistani international cricketer who plays for Pakistan. He is the current captain of the Pakistan Test cricket team. He plays for, and is the captain of, Yorkshire County Cricket Club and Karachi Kings. He is a left-handed batsman and an occasional right-arm medium-fast bowler.
Shan Masood was born in 1989 in Kuwait, where his father worked in a bank. Following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and the start of the Gulf War, the family left for their native Pakistan, settling down in Karachi again.[4]
His father Mansoor Masood Khan, apart from being a professional banker, always had an interest in sports, himself playing hockey at provincial level while loving cricket as well and encouraging his son to be invested in the field.[5] Mansoor became a member of the governing board in the Pakistan Cricket Board in 2014.[6]
His paternal uncle, Waqar Masood Khan, is a retired civil servant who served as Pakistan's longest serving Federal Secretary for Finance. His elder sister died in 2021 while his younger brother Ali is a barrister.[7]
In December 2021, he was signed by Derbyshire for the 2022 county season.[15] In April 2022, in the second round of matches in the 2022 County Championship, Shan scored his maiden double century in first-class cricket, scoring an unbeaten 201 runs on the opening day against Sussex.[16] In the following match, Shan scored another double century, becoming the first batsman for Derbyshire to score back-to-back double centuries in first-class cricket.[17] In May 2022, he scored his third century for Derbyshire against Worcestershire.[18]
International career
In October 2013, Masood made his Test debut in the first test against South Africa scoring 75 runs, at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium. He became only the third Pakistan batsman to score a half-century and a duck on Test debut.[19]
In July 2015, he scored his maiden century against Sri Lanka at Pallekele, putting on 242 for the third wicket with Younis Khan as Pakistan scored 382 to complete their highest successful chase.[20] Masood, a part-time medium pacer, bowled for the first time in Test cricket on 23 July 2016 against England at Old Trafford. His first delivery was a no ball.[21]
In September 2018, he was named in Pakistan's One Day International (ODI) squad for the 2018 Asia Cup, but he did not play.[22] In January 2019, he was named in Pakistan's ODI squad for their series against South Africa, but again he did not play.[23] In March 2019, he was named in Pakistan's ODI squad for their series against Australia.[24][25] He made his ODI debut for Pakistan against Australia on 22 March 2019.[26]
In June 2020, he was named in a 29-man squad for Pakistan's tour to England during the COVID-19 pandemic.[30][31] In July, he was shortlisted in Pakistan's 20-man squad for the Test matches against England.[32][33] In August 2020, Masood scored 156 in the first Test against England, his fourth century in Test cricket, at the Old Trafford.[34]
In November 2020, he was named in Pakistan's 35-man squad for their tour to New Zealand.[35]
Masood was again retained as Pakistan's captain for the three-test home series against England.[45] In the first Test, Masood scored his fifth test century and surpassed the 2,000 runs milestone in Tests.[46] He also became the 17th Pakistan captain to score a hundred in the test format.[47] In the second test, Pakistan's win marked Masood's first victory since taking over as captain, after six consecutive defeats in a row.[48]
^Hussain, S.M. (30 August 2020). "CRICKET: FIGHTING ON TWO FRONTS". Dawn News. Things went bad to worse for Masood when his father became a member of the governing board in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in 2014. The label of nepotism seemed to follow him everywhere.
^"Pakistan cricketer Shan Masood to tie the knot on January 21". Geo News. 27 November 2022. The left-handed batter is the son of renowned banker Mansoor Masood Khan, while his paternal uncle Waqar Masood Khan has served as federal finance secretary. He is the second among his three siblings. Shan's elder sister passed away last year and his younger brother, Ali, is a barrister.
